160 THE SPURRED TOWHEE. 
No. 65. 
SPURRED TOWHEE. 
A. O. U. No. 588 a. Pipilo maculatus montanus Swarth. 
Synonyms.—CHEWINK. “CATBIRD.” 
Description.—A dult male: Head and neck all around, chest and upperparts 
black, glossy anteriorly, duller on back; elongated white spots on scapulars, on 
tips of middle and greater coverts and on outer web of exposed tertials; edge of 
wing white and succeeding primaries white on outer web; outermost pair of 
rectrices edged with white on outer web; the three outermost pairs terminally 
blotched with white on inner web and the fourth pair touched with same near 
tip; breast and belly white; sides, flanks and crissum light cinnamon rufous, 
bleaching on under tail-coverts to light tawny. Bill black; feet brownish; iris red. 
Adult female: Similar to male but duller; black of male replaced by slaty with an 
olivaceous cast. Length of adult males: 7.50-8.50 (190.5-215.9) ; wing 3.17 (86); 
tail 3.93 (100) ; bill .53 (13.5) ; tarsus 1.07 (27.7) ; hind claw .48 (12.2). Female 
a little less. 
Recognition Marks.—Standard of “Chewink” size; black, white and cin- 
namon-rufous unmistakable ; heavily spotted with white on scapulars and wing as 
compared with P. m. oregonus. 
Nesting.—Nest: on the ground in thicket or at base of small sapling, a 
bulky collection of bark-strips, pine needles, coarse dead grass, etc., carefully lined 
with fine dry grass; measures 5 inches in width and 3 in depth externally by 214 
wide and 1% deep inside. Eggs: 3-5, usually 4, grayish white or pinkish white 
as to ground, heavily and uniformly dotted with light reddish brown. Av. size, 
.93 Xx .70 (23.6x17.8). Season: last week in April, last week in May and first 
week in June; two broods. 
General Range.—Breeding in Upper Sonoran and Transition zones from the 
Rocky Mountains to the Cascade-Sierras and in the Pacific coast district of 
central California, and from Lower California and Northern Mexico north into 
sritish Columbia; retiring from northern portion of range in winter. 
Range in Washington.—Common summer resident east of the Cascades, 
found in foothills and mountain valleys up to 3,000 feet; casually resident in 
winter. 
Authorities.—P. m. megalonyx, Brewster, B. N. O. C. VII. Oct. 1892, 
Dy 227 IDA. SiS25 SS. IIe 
Specimens.—(U. of W.) Pt. Prov. C. 
ALTHO of Mexican stock, our western Towhee does not differ greatly 
in appearance from the familiar bird (P. erythrophthalmus) of the East; 
and its habits so closely resemble that of the eastern bird as hardly to require 
special description. The Spurred Towhee is a lover of green, thickety hill- 
sides and brushy draws, such cover, in short, as is lumped together under 
